a gas line explosion triggers a massive fire in downtown kansas city, missouri. >> the heat from the fire came into my car. the windows were up but i could still feel the heat. dogs are on the line as the deadline for massive budget cuts draws near. and not credible. prosecutors say oscar pistorius's explanation for why he shot his girlfriend just doesn't add up. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, february 20th, 2013. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. in kansas city, crews are working through the night looking for more victims of an

parent gas explosion that rocked an upscale shopping center. two people are reported missing and at least 14 injured. cadaver dogs are searching the rubble of a restaurant that burnt to the ground. residents of nearby buildings were forced to evacuate, and the mayor was one of first people on the scene. >> what we're really trying to get a handle on right now is how many people were hurt, who are they, where are they and that's kind of a moving target because we don't know who was there to begin with. >> witnesses say they smelled gas five hours before the blast and reported it to a construction crew working in the area. bigad shaban has more. >> reporter: flames and heavy smoke reach into the night sky over downtown kansas city after an explosion started a fire in an upscale shopping center. the blaze broke out just after 6:00 p.m. it destroyed a restaurant and damaged other structures at the country club plaza. the blast and the fire that followed injured more than a dozen people.

officials say the gas leak may have been caused by utility contractors working in the area. >> we finally called the gas company. they came out, checked inside the building, said we were above the limit, it was unhealthy, and we needed to evacuate. he stepped tout door it wasn't two minutes when we were grabbing our stuff and the explosion hit and it hit you like a car accident. the shopping area dates back to 1922 and including retail store, offices, and apartment units. bigad shabab, cbs news. >> well, president obama is turning up the heat on republicans. there are only nine days left until dramatic automatic spending cuts go into effect. he's blaming the gop. republican leaders are fighting back saying spending is the problem and they won't support any new tax hikes. danielle nottingham reports.

>> reporter: president obama called in police and firefighters to help him talk republicans oust letting the budget cuts take effect. the automatic cuts known in washington as the sequester kick in march 1st. they were designed to be so severe they'd force lawmakers to reach a budget deal, but they haven't yet, and now the president is pushing a short-temp fix to allow more time to reach a compromise. >> there's a smarter way to do this, to reduce our deficits without harming our economy. but congress has to act. >> reporter: the white house wants a plan with smaller spending cuts and more tax revenues. republicans say the government is already too bloated and higher taxes should not be part of this equation. the budget expert says the automatic cuts will hurt the economy, even though most government agencies should be able to weather them.

>> most organizations can manage a cut of 5%, 7% in their budget without long-term harm. i don't mean it won't be painful. it will be. >> reporter: allen simpson and erskine bowls who led a commission on the debt say it will be painful for lawmakers as voters start feeling the effects like longer lines at the airports. >> when that happens, they're going to come back to congress and say we're sick of this intrancyin intransigence intransigence, let's do something smart. >> reporter: they'll only have a few days when they return next week. danielle nottingham, cbs news, the white house. on the "cbs moneywatch" now, going on the offensive against cyber attacks, and apple gets bitten by a bug. erica ferrari is here with that and more in new york. good morning, erica? >> good morning. asia got a boost from signs of recovery from the world's economy. tokyo's nikkei gain 1% to close at a high. hong kong's hang seng added more than half a percent. word of a possible merger

between office max and office depot rallied wall street. the dow climbed nearly 54 points while the nasdaq added 21. the white house will reveal today how it's going to strike back at china following a series of cyber attacks targeting the u.s. government and corporate secrets. officials say the obama administration is considering fines, penalties, and trade restrictions. a virginia-based cyber security firm discovered a secret chinese military unit behind years of u.s. cyber attacks. china has denied any involvement and claims it's been a victim of hacking, too, by the u.s. and apple was the target of a hacking attack at the company's california headquarters. apple says mall ware infected a small number of its mac computers used by employees. the company says the mall ware got on the macs through a website for software developers by exploiting a security flaw in the browser.

apple says it was similar to an attack on facebook earlier this week. bp won't pay penalties for all of the more than 200 million gallons of oil that spilled back in 2010. the u.s. government agreed not to fine bp for 34 million gallons the company captured before entering the gulf. fines for all the rest of the oil will be in the billions. >> sony is expected to reveal details about its much anticipated next generation gaming console today. execs will announce the gaming station that will replace the aging game station that was released six years ago. sony competes with microsoft's xbox and the wii. >> gamers all over the world can't wait. thank you. erica ferrari, cbs news, new york. well, oscar pistorius is back in a south africa court for the second day for his bail hearing. prosecutors say it was premeditated murder but

pistorius claims it was a tragic accident. tina krause has the latest. >> reporter: oscar pistorius covered his head with blanket for day two of his hearing in south africa's capital. his defense team is trying to keep him out of jail before he goes on trial for the premeditated murder of his girlfriend model reeva steenkamp. his lawyers will have to prove exceptional circumstances that would justify granting bail. a trial for the 26-year-old is not expected for months but prosecutors are already revealing details of what they call a rock solid case against him. they insist the runner is a cold-blooded killer who killed steenkamp after a shouting match in his home during the early morning hours of valentine's day. the paralympic superstar known as the blade runner for his prosthetic legs said he was not

wearing them the night of the murder. he said there was a burglar in his bathroom so he grabbed a pistol from under his bed. he says he fired four shots through the locked door and shouted for steenkamp to call the police before realizing she was not in his bed and that he shot her. prosecutors tell it differently saying the sprinter took time to put on his artificial legs, walk across the room, and then open fire on steenkamp who was hiding in the bathroom. family and friends buried the supermodel and law graduate on tuesday. pistorius said he was deeply in love with steenkamp and was filled with horror and fear as she died in his arms. tina kraus, cbs news. four star marine corps general john allen says he's retiring. he stepped down. he was expected to become the next nato commander in europe. last fall the 57-year-old allen was investigated for sending

inappropriate e-mails to florida socialite jill kelley. he was cleared of all charges. allen said he's stepping down to help his wife with her health issues. >> coming up on the "morning news," court date. jesse jackson jr. goes to federal court today to face charges he misused campaign funds. this is the "cbs morning news." funds. this is the "cbs morning news." the delightful discovery. the sweet realization that you have a moment all to yourself. well, almost. splenda® no calorie sweetener. splenda® makes the moment yours™. if you don't feel good when you leave the bathroom, you've got the wrong toilet paper. you want it to get you clean... gently. as long as i use quilted northern ultra plush® i'm happy... and positive i'm clean. quilted northern ultra plush with the innerlux layer. for a comfortable, confident clean, or your money back.

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while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less pain i'm feeling better with lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. this amazing video out this amazing video out of italy showing the eruption of mt. etna. the volcano once again began spewing lava on sicily for several hours on tuesday. flights were not affected and no villages were in the path of the lava flow. well, former congressman jesse jackson jr. and his wife are due in court. they spent hundreds of thousands

of campaign dollars on themselves. susan mcginnis is in washington with the details on their expected guilty pleas. >> that's right. jesse jackson will appear in federal court here in washington, d.c., this morning, his wife a few hours later this afternoon. his conviction will cap quite a fall from grace for this former congressman and son of civil rights leader the reverend jesse jackson. former congressman jesse jackson jr. and his wife sandy jackson will both appear before a federal judge at this u.s. district courthouse in washington, d.c., today. jackson has agreed to plead guilty to spending $750,000 of campaign donations on personal items, including a gold rolex watch. >> he resigned from the congress. he's doing everything he can to try to make the government happy. he's willing to pay restitution. so he's basically saying hey, listen i've stepped up to the plate, i'm doing everything i can, give me a break. >> it'll will be up to the federal judge to decide whether he gets any kind of break.

he faces up to five years in jail. >> they'll recommend jail, they'll recommend a five-year term, but the judge can ignore that recommendation. >> jesse jackson jr. agreed to resign from congress as part of his plea agreement. in his resignation letter he tried to protect his wife saying the mistakes were his alone but the prosecution would not accept any deal without the congressman acknowledging that his wife knew what she was doing. prosecutors say she spent some of the campaign money on furs, but they're only charging her with filing false income tax returns. she has since resigned from her seat on the chicago city council. >> it would be hard for any family to go through what we've gone through publicly. >> the former congressman has been out of the public eye for the last eight months while being treated at the mayo clinic for a bipolar disorder. now jesse jackson senior releasing a statement thanking those who prayed for his son and family. he describes the hurt as indescribable and he hopes his son's apology will be accepted.

anne-marie? >> susan mcginnis in washington thank you. well they couldn't phone home after the software lab couldn't communicate with earth. the communications link went down. astronauts aboard had the problem fixed fewer than three hours later. well, straight ahead, your wednesday morning weather. and in sports, it's a mad dash to the finish in east lansing as the hoosiers take on a tough michigan state squad. michigan state squad.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york, mostly cloudy, 35 the high. 81 the high in miami. chicago, lots of sunshine, but chilly, 22. dallas, expect showers, 46. los angeles, showers in the morning. time now for a check of the national forecast. a major winter storm moves into the nation's heartland today with more than a foot of snow possible in nebraska and kansas. more snow in the west will bring half a foot to the interior northwest and a foot to flagstaff, arizona. expect lake-effect snow around the great lakes and gusty winds throughout much of the mid-atlantic. showers and thunderstorms roll through parts of the south. well, in sports we begin with college hoops and the top-ranked indiana hoosiers who barely survived a challenge from fourth ranked michigan state. playing on an injured ankle, victor hola depot led indiana

with 19 points 9 rebounds, and five blocks. this is the first time indiana has beaten michigan state in east lansing since 1991. the hoosiers beat the spartans, 72-68. revenge for missouri against the fifth ranked florida gators. the tigers erased a 13-point deficit to rally past the gators, 63-60. a month ago florida blew out missouri by 31 points. and the "associated press" reports that the ncaa has accused the university of miami of lack of institutional control. it's the latest episode in the two-year investigation into alleged rules violations by a former university booster. the institutional control charge is one of the most serious. in the nba now, some last-chance heroics lift the nets past the bucks. brooklyn's joe johnson hit a game-tying three-pointer in the closing seconds to push the game

into overtime and then johnson hits a buzzer-beating jumper at the end of o.t. to give the nets to win. brooklyn beat machilwaukee, 113-111. when we return now, another look at this morning's top stories and the case of the stolen diamonds. a brazen robbery at an airport and the search for eight masked suspects. >> announcer: sports sponsored by touch of gray. get the best of both worlds. >> announcer: sports sponsored by touch of gray. get the boastest of both worlds. wow, i've been claritin clear for 10 days! when your allergies start, doctors recommend taking one non-drowsy claritin every day during your allergy season for continuous relief. 18 days! 12 days! 24 days of continuous relief. live claritin clear. every day. [ male announcer ] here's a word

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washington, d.c., partly sunny, 38 the high. atlanta, 53 the high. st. louis, 30 degrees but mostly sunny. denver, snow and rain and scattered showers. seattle, 47 the high. well, here's the top stories this morning. crews are working through the

night after gas explosion rocked a shopping district in kansas city. two people are reported missing and at least 14 injured. cadaver dogs are searching the rubble. and president obama is blaming republicans for the automatic spending cuts that will take effect on march 1st. he says they'll cause massive government layoffs. in europe police are looking for eight masked gunmen who pulled off one of the most spectacular diamond heists in recent years. it happened in brussels at the brussels international airport just before 8:00 monday night, and it went down so fast police are investigating whether the thieves had inside information. kelly cobiella reports. >> reporter: police at brussels international airport didn't see the heist coming our going. it took less than five minutes. eight masked men made a hole in a perimeter fence and drove two vehicleses straight onto the

runway where the plane was getting ready for takeoff. they ordered the crew to open the cargo door, grabbed 120 packages, then sped back the way they came. the take, diamonds worth at least $50 million. caroline de wolf of the antwerp diamond centre. >> yesterday was a complete shock for us. it's unbelievable and we don't completely understand what happened. >> reporter: they were armed with machine guns and fitted their vehicles with flashing blue lines. they believe this charred van abandoned near the airport was used for the robbery. they're now looking for a black audi and eight suspects with boxes of diamonds to sell. kelly cobiella with cbs news, london. well with very a heart-warming reunion for you from ft. wayne, indiana. 2-year-old victoria was reunited with her dog charlie six months after he went missing from their home. charlie was anonymously dropped off at a shelter last week where he was identified by his microchip, and the two of them

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4 minutes before 5:00. you're waking up to fair weather clouds. >> it's windy and going to feel colder than the numbers show it is. let's take a look at the day part. it's 33 degrees right now. 36 at lunch on its way to

a high of 37 with sunshine through the day but that wind is just going to feel like a winter afternoon. here's what we have our eye on today. traffic fatalities rose 5% last year. >> long time gun control advocate sara brady is coming to annapolis to support a measure backed by the governor. she's the wife of jim brady. >> the state house of delegates postpones debates on a wind shore. >> already in the news this morning, an ever growing investigation, more patients are coming forward worried they were video taped by a former john hopkins ob/gyn. >> a man with down syndrome dies in police custody. what the police are saying. >> a self-defense accident or premeditated murder. the

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